In the 1980s Zdena Tomin was involved in the British peace movement, with CND and END (European Nuclear Disarmament). She examined “détente from below” – the dialogue between western peace activists and east European dissidents – and in 1983 wrote a wonderful playlet for the END Journal, which I edited.
A British couple, Mary and John, meet two Czech dissidents, Marta and Karel, in a pub – and the story, also featuring the waitress and a fellow drinker, encapsulated the arguments and difficulties of such exchanges. As her friend EP Thomson reminded us, history is never told from below. Nevertheless this dialogue did contribute to the end of the cold war, and Zdena played a role in making it happen.
Mary Kaldor
Zdena Tomin and I enjoyed visiting peace groups across the US. Joan Baez had invited a group of END activists and we ended up in California with a wonderful dinner, songs and a speech from her.
Meg Beresford
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